The 'Just Because' bouquet. It's not expected. It's just to let you know you are loved. My favorite kind. This 3 ft. x 3 ft. bouquet is the 2nd triptych created for Central DuPage Hospital's Maternal Fetal Medicine suite.*
While I was thinking about and praying for the women sitting in the waiting room with a high risk pregnancy, likely feeling uncertain or anxious, I just wanted to give them a bouquet - just because. *Due to some changes in plans, 'Just Because' may not end up in that section of the hospital.
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Apparently, I couldn't stop with Miss Chicken and the toys... (See previous post.) It snowed quite a bit while The Traveling Chicken was in town. For inspiration, my husband suggested that I take her out in the snow. I was resistant because I simply did not want to paint snow. (Hence the indoor play in the previous painting.) Well, the day I sent her off to Florida, the snow was so beautiful that I felt I should at least try the chick in the snow. It felt SO good to be outside on a quiet snowy morning. After taking quite a few pictures, I perched the chicken on a hydrangea bush (I believe it's a chantilly hydrangea for those who are curious) next to a few dried blooms that have hung on all winter... Gorgeous. And, I got to paint Miss Chicken with some flowers. :) Yes, it's a bit kooky to paint a ceramic chicken in the snow, but there is exquisite beauty in all seasons - chicken or no chicken, I'm grateful I didn't miss it!
You can read the story to go along with little Miss Chicken at The Traveling Chicken blog. The chicken has arrived in sunny Florida at Pamela Sweet's studio. The Traveling Chicken, affectionately known as Miss Chicken or TC, visited my studio for 2 weeks. She is a wee one, but loaded with possibility! Deciding on just what to do with this ceramic chicken was a conundrum. She was smaller and frankly, less interesting than I had imagined her to be. Also, I thought Miss chick should be sitting amidst a flower or two - to 'go' with my current florals. Ultimately, I decided to just have fun with it. Because of her size, I pictured her amidst the many 'set-ups' my two sons create with their star wars figures, superheroes, legos, etc. I basically let the boys play with her (on a cushy carpeted floor to avoid any mishaps), while I tried to capture an inspiring photo to paint from. The boys had a great time including her in many different scenarios. Some tension arose and we had to take turns (myself included) because we all had our own ideas for the little ceramic chicken! Because we were indoors and we were 'playing' right before bedtime (dark outside), it was hard to get good photos. My 9 year old found a small, but glaring, flashlight that we tried to use as a spotlight. Here are some of the better shots. The next morning, I brought her downstairs - and saw our chess set on the coffee table. Perfect! Miss Chicken gets to be the queen, good lighting was coming in from a nearby window, there were interesting textures and possibilities for a captivating composition. Yep - but that little 4x6 inch composition was not so simple (surprise, surprise). For a while, Miss Chicken got lost (literally) in the game. Making the onyx chess pieces 'make sense' was a challenge. I pushed and pulled values for hours. BUT working with a different subject, blending and mixing and layering the oil paint, arranging (and rearranging) the composition - all were valuable and just plain fun. Before she left for Pamela Sweet's studio in Florida, I took some photos of Miss Chicken with her new friends. To read about Miss Chick in more of a story form, visit my post on The Traveling Chicken blog.
Several months ago, I painted a little square 6x6in. oil painting called 'Basking in the Sun'. Central DuPage Hospital commissioned me to paint a much larger version (24x36in.) in a rectangular format. Changing the scale and the proportions of the canvas turned out to be much more of a challenge than I had anticipated! As I neared (or thought I was nearing) the painting's completion, the closing song from Lamb Chop's Play Along TV show started up in my head: "This is the song (painting) that doesn't end, yes, it goes on and on my friend..." (To hear the song, click on the orange words. Beware - the song really sticks with you!) I continued to adjust the composition, develop the values and layer the colors until it felt like the pieces of the puzzle fit together. A lesson in perseverance - here she is! In drawing class, we reversed the shading process and drew with white colored pencil on black paper. We continued to look for light, medium and dark values while creating texture with our strokes. Just look at all those wonderful marks! Click here for the current class schedule.
When I see the sun breaking through the trees, my attention is led away from the day-to-day. In that magical moment, I experience peace. 'Breaking Through' is a triptych (3 canvases, 12x36in. each), commissioned by Central DuPage Hospital, to be hung on a curved wall in their new Maternal Fetal Medicine suite. There's a message of hope in such a scene. I keep taking pictures, trying to capture it. Look how the light gets so bright in the center that the branches closest to the light seem to disappear. I took photos of my progress - from sketch to completed painting. In order to reflect my original inspiration of the sun breaking through the branches, I realized that the circles needed to be brought tighter together and painted brighter as they got closer to the center of the light. (I wasn't trying to make it snow!) Seeing it broken down into steps, it looks easier that it was! Color-wise, I was coordinating with 'Drink' - another painting purchased for the suite. I wrote about the inspiration for 'Drink' in a previous post: All Who Are Thirsty...Drink
When I was growing up, I spent hours on the tire swing in our backyard - swingin', thinkin' and watchin' the world around me. Using a variety of pictures for reference, my young students drew a tree, a horizon line (where the sky meets the ground), a tire swing and clouds. How they arranged their composition was up to them.
Then, we went in with our No. 2 pencil! Depending on which part of the drawing we were working on, we used our pencil in different ways to create light, medium and dark values (shading) and a variety of textures (how something would feel if we could touch it). It was actually snowing and blowing outside while we worked on these drawings. So - using masonite boards to support our paper, we gathered around the fireplace to create! :) My Thursday afternoon class for grades 1-5 studied the expression, shapes, values and lines in these two self-portraits by Rembrandt. Their pen & ink renditions make me smile! I'm working on more paintings for Central DuPage Hospital and Cadence Health. Coming soon...
The Traveling Chicken A few months ago, I was awake early and couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to check e-mail. I subscribe to Carol Marine's Painting a Day blog and through it, was introduced to The Traveling Chicken. A small ceramic chicken is being sent to artists all around the world as a muse of sorts. (Click on the link to check out the wonderful paintings other artists have created with this little chick.) Well, in the wee hours of the morning, I signed up and 'Miss Chicken' will soon be on her way to me! Have you signed up for my blog? Once or twice a week you'll get to see the latest things happening in my studio. Sign up is on the right - enter your e-mail and don't forget to respond the verification e-mail that comes soon after you sign up. Beautiful from All Sides 8x10in. acrylic on wrapped canvas SOLD I'm like Porcupine in the book, 'Little Mouse's Painting', by Diane Wolkstein - (intricate illustrations by Mary Jane Begin). Porcupine appreciates the beauty surrounding her and is often heard saying, "Look at that. Just look at that!" That was exactly the reaction I had when I discovered this little red sunflower, lit up from all sides. SO gorgeous! |
Dawn Eaton
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